I think there are sincere true believers. Just like people that believe in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy they are naive. It's a pleasant thought to believe that merely by wishing there were no guns the world would be a safer place. For these people evidence that guns do more good than harm is extremely uncomfortable thought. It is psychologically easier to twist the facts to match their beliefs than to adapt their beliefs to reality. Hence we have these mental cases.

This is not to say we don't have people that are kooks and/or malevolent. Many of these merely use the emotionalism and the twisted facts as their tool to an end.

And just as there are those working for the tobacco companies who insist smoking does no harm there are those who get their money from the Joyce Foundation and insist gun control is the path to the promised land instead to tyranny.

Tony, yes. I think it is self reinforcing. And it takes supporters to maintain the delusions. This is part of the reason it is so important to "come out of the closet" as a gun owner. If people think everyone agrees with their delusions then it is much easier to cling to them. See also When Prophecy Fails.

Justthisguy, yeah. I've had similar thoughts. One variation of my line of thinking is that it is so ironic that these parasites make shelters and food depots for some terrible disaster and the people selected for protecting are not those that would be best able to rebuild after the disaster. They don't select construction people, farmers, mechanics, engineers, doctors, plumbers, and electricians. They select "the leaders" (actually the servants) who mismanged things to the point there was a disaster. And these "leaders" are frequently in public service because they couldn't make it in the private sector. If, when they come back up, either they won't be welcome or they will starve to death in the cold during the first winter when it will be do real work or die.